An oil well may produce a mixture including oil, water and gas. Various systems have been developed for separating the oil and gas from the water.
For example, compact flotation units have been in use since 2001, and in some cases can adequately serve the needs for removal of oil and gas from water at various desired points in the production process. However, some oil may remain in the water despite the use of a compact flotation unit. For example, in some cases, a portion of smaller gas bubbles may exist at the bottom of a compact flotation unit that, because of countercurrent water flow, may not rise to the surface for removal. These small bubbles may have been in contact with oil droplets, and thus may be carrying oil.
These issues are illustrated in the diagrams shown in FIGS. 11A and 11B. As shown in the flow direction and velocity diagram on FIG. 11A, in some areas, the flow of the flow becomes uneven and turbulent as it flows downward. This turbulent and uneven flow may result in the transport of oil carrying small bubbles toward the bottom of the compact flotation unit. The velocity contour diagram in FIG. 11B better illustrates the greater velocities in these zones of turbulent and uneven flow.
Due to ever tightening environmental regulations in some areas, newer compact flotation units able to remove at least some of these gas bubbles, and thus further reduce the amount of oil removed from water, are desirable.